Now more than ever, small businesses and entrepreneurs understand the MUST factor with social media marketing. When deciding which platforms to focus your efforts, Facebook tends to be a top choice, but why? Here are 7 reasons why you should take Facebook seriously when looking at your online marketing options!

1. Huge reach and brand visibility.

According to Facebook Newsroom, there were 1.13 billion daily active users on average for June 2016. A few other user statistics:

If you have ever invested in print advertising or any other type of advertising, then you know how expensive it can be. Any business regardless of size can take advantage of Facebook advertising. You can boost a page post for as little as $1 and have total control over how long an ad runs and even pause it to make adjustments if you see it's not converting to your liking. Here are some ways you can target your audience on Facebook:

Age and gender

Interests

Lifestyle

Relationship Status

Education Level

Income

Location

Activities

And more….!

3. Drive traffic to your website.

Ultimately, social media marketing is a tool to get your target audience back to your website or to somehow get their eyes on your offer. You can run ads for the specific purpose of driving traffic to your site so they can see your content, promotion, or offer. You can also create a "call to action" button on your Facebook page to drive people to a particular page on your website.

4. Build your email list.

This is probably the best use of your Facebook marketing. You must have an email list. Any social media network can choose to close down at any time. With the rate of growth on Facebook, it’s highly unlikely that they will be shutting their doors anytime soon but you should be prepared just in case. You can do the following to drive traffic to your email opt in offer:

Use your Facebook cover to drive traffic to your opt in.

Run ads about your offer.

Use Facebook apps to engage with your potential clients.

5. Grow your own Facebook group.

Create your own Facebook group to build tribe that you can network and connect with on a regular basis. Having your own Facebook group increases your level of influence and authority. You can also use the group to build your email list and drive traffic to your site. If you’re not looking to create your own group then you can join existing Facebook groups. Get involved in groups where your target audience hangs out and some groups within your industry. Engage, network and be helpful consistently. Be sure to view the group rules of any group you decide to join. Most are ‘no promotion’ type groups or have specific days in which you can promote yourself or your offer. No one wants to be sold to so always keep this question top of mind when networking: “How can I genuinely help today?”

6. Facebook Live Video

Facebook live video streaming has taken video to new heights. By taking advantage of live video, you can connect with your audience in real time. You get to see how many are viewing and can react to comments as they come in – cool, right? We live in a ‘right now’ world so live video has the ability to get more traction than a video loaded later to something like youtube. Stream live video from:

Your personal Facebook page

Facebook groups

Your Facebook business page

If you are using Facebook Live for business, try streaming from your Facebook business page or your Facebook group.

7. Spy on your competitors (I mean competitor analysis)

The "pages to watch" feature on Facebook is another "secrete" weapon. This feature allows you to monitor your competitors or people in your industry. Once you chose a business page to watch, you will be able to monitor how many likes and how much engagement the page has daily. You can access this feature via the Posts Insights tab on your Facebook Business Page.

With the exception of the Facebook ads, many of the benefits of Facebook for business are free so there’s nothing to lose. To get started with anything on Facebook, you must first create a personal profile and then (if you choose), you can create a Facebook group or a Facebook business page. Why not join the #30Days2FBSuccess Challenge and learn how you can use Facebook to help you engage with your audience and grow your business? Use this link or the button above to register for this free exclusive challenge.

P.S. – Feel free to join us in The Social Business Café. It’s a free Facebook group that I created for entrepreneurs and small business owners.